Patentable/Patents/US-9641836
US-9641836

Weighted difference prediction under the framework of generalized residual prediction

PublishedMay 2, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

An apparatus for coding video information according to certain aspects includes a memory unit and a processor in communication with the memory unit. The memory unit stores video information associated with a reference layer. The processor determines a value of a current video unit based on, at least in part, a reconstruction value associated with the reference layer and an adjusted difference prediction value. The adjusted difference prediction value is equal to a difference between a prediction of a current layer and a prediction of the reference layer multiplied by a weighting factor that is different from 1.

Patent Claims
67 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. An apparatus for coding video information, comprising: a memory configured to store video data associated with a reference layer and a corresponding enhancement layer; and a processor in communication with the memory, the processor configured to: select a weighting factor from a plurality of weighting factor candidates, wherein the selected weighting factor is different from 1; determine an adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the adjusted prediction value is equal to the selected weighting factor multiplied by a difference between (i) a prediction of a current picture in the enhancement layer and (ii) a prediction of a reference layer picture in the reference layer that corresponds to the current picture; and determine a reconstruction of the current picture in the enhancement layer based on a sum of (i) a residual value indicative of a difference between the current picture and the prediction of the current picture, (ii) a reconstruction of the reference layer picture in the reference layer, and (iii) the adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the selected weighting factor is derived from a weighting step indicative of an increment size between each of the plurality of weighting factor candidates and a weighting index associated with the selected weighting factor.

Plain English Translation

A video coding system includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores video data for a reference layer (lower resolution or different view) and a corresponding enhancement layer (higher resolution or different view). The processor selects a weighting factor (a number other than 1) to adjust a prediction difference. It calculates an "adjusted difference prediction value" by multiplying the weighting factor by the difference between a prediction of a current picture in the enhancement layer and a prediction of the corresponding picture in the reference layer. The current enhancement layer picture is reconstructed by summing a residual (difference between the original picture and its prediction), the reconstructed reference layer picture, and the adjusted difference prediction value. The weighting factor is chosen from a set of candidates, with the increment size between candidates and an index is used to look up the selected weighting factor.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to apply the weighting factor at a coding level selected from a group comprising: a sequence, a group of frames, frame, a group of slices, slice, a group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, and a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The video coding system described above allows the weighting factor to be applied at different levels of the video structure. This coding level can be a video sequence, a group of frames, a single frame, a group of slices, a slice, a group of coding units (CUs), a single coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), a single prediction unit (PU), individual blocks of pixels, or even a specific region of pixels. This means the weighting can be adapted to different spatial or temporal granularities within the video.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the weighting factor is determined based upon weighting information.

Plain English Translation

The video coding system described in the first claim determines the weighting factor based on "weighting information". This weighting information provides the system with the necessary data to select the appropriate weighting factor for the video coding process.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the weighting information comprises one or more of a weighting step, a weighting table, a number of weighting factor candidates, or a weighting index.

Plain English Translation

The "weighting information" used to determine the weighting factor (as described in the previous claim) can include one or more of the following: a "weighting step" (increment size between weighting factor candidates), a "weighting table" (a lookup table containing the weighting factors), the total "number of weighting factor candidates" available, or a "weighting index" (identifying a specific weighting factor).

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the weighting information comprises a weighting index, and wherein the weighting index indicates which prediction and what weighting factor is used for a coding level.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the previous claims, if the "weighting information" includes a "weighting index", this index serves to indicate both which prediction method and which weighting factor should be used for a particular coding level (sequence, frame, slice, CU, PU, etc.).

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the weighting information is signaled.

Plain English Translation

In the described video coding system, the "weighting information" used to determine the weighting factor (as in claim 3) is explicitly signaled within the encoded video bitstream. This means the encoder includes the weighting information as part of the compressed video data.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the weighting information is signaled at a coding level selected from a group comprising: a sequence, a group of frames, frame, a group of slices, slice, a group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, and a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The "weighting information" signaled in the video bitstream (as described in the previous claim) can be signaled at various coding levels: video sequence, group of frames, single frame, group of slices, single slice, group of coding units (CUs), single coding unit (CU), group of prediction units (PUs), single prediction unit (PU), individual blocks of pixels, or even a specific region of pixels.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the weighting information is derived based on previously encoded or decoded information.

Plain English Translation

Instead of explicitly signaling the "weighting information," as described in previous claims, the weighting information can be derived from previously encoded or decoded video data. This means the encoder and decoder use existing information to infer the weighting factor.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the previously encoded or decoded information is provided at a coding level and comprises one or more of: a quantization parameter, a CU size, a PU size, or a CU coding mode.

Plain English Translation

The previously encoded or decoded information used to derive the "weighting information" (as described in the previous claim) is provided at a specific coding level (sequence, frame, slice, CU, PU, etc.) and includes one or more of the following: a quantization parameter (QP), a CU size, a PU size, or a CU coding mode (inter or intra).

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the coding level comprises one or more of: a sequence, a group of frames, a frame, a group of slices, a slice, a group of CUs, a CU, a group of PUs, a PU, one or more blocks, or a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The coding level at which the previously encoded or decoded information is provided, as discussed in the previous claim, can be one or more of the following: a video sequence, a group of frames, a single frame, a group of slices, a single slice, a group of coding units (CUs), a single CU, a group of prediction units (PUs), a single PU, individual blocks, or a region of pixels.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the CU coding mode is inter CU or intra CU.

Plain English Translation

The CU coding mode, as referred to in claim 9, can be either "inter CU" (predicted from other frames) or "intra CU" (predicted from within the same frame). This distinction influences how the weighting information is derived.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to disable generalized residual prediction (GRP) and enable only weighted difference prediction (WDP).

Plain English Translation

The video coding system can be configured to disable "generalized residual prediction (GRP)" and enable only "weighted difference prediction (WDP)". This simplifies the prediction process by relying solely on the weighted difference between the enhancement layer and reference layer predictions.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to disable GRP and enable WDP at a coding level selected from a group comprising: a sequence, a group of frames, frame, a group of slices, slice, a group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, or a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The disabling of GRP and enabling of WDP, as mentioned in the previous claim, can be applied at different coding levels: sequence, group of frames, frame, group of slices, slice, group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, or a region of pixels.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to signal the weighting factor in a bitstream of video information.

Plain English Translation

The weighting factor used in the weighted difference prediction is signaled directly in the video bitstream, allowing the decoder to know the exact weighting factor used by the encoder.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the weighting factor comprises a number of candidate weighting factors, the number of candidate weighting factors being dependent upon coded information in a bitstream associated with the video information.

Plain English Translation

The weighting factor is chosen from a set of candidate weighting factors. The number of available candidates depends on already coded information present in the bitstream of video data.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the coded information comprises one or more of a CU mode, a CU size, or other previously coded information in the bitstream.

Plain English Translation

The coded information that determines the number of weighting factor candidates (as described in the previous claim) can be a CU mode (intra or inter), a CU size, or other previously coded information within the bitstream. This allows the system to adapt the weighting factor selection based on the video content.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform 3D video coding, and wherein the reference layer comprises a plurality of reference layers or reference views.

Plain English Translation

The video coding system can perform 3D video coding. In this case, the reference layer can be multiple reference layers or different views of the 3D scene, allowing the system to leverage inter-view dependencies for prediction.

Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the adjusted difference prediction value in a spatial scalable video coding mode by up-sampling and/or down-sampling.

Plain English Translation

The video coding system can determine the "adjusted difference prediction value" in a spatial scalable video coding mode (where enhancement layer has higher resolution than reference layer) by up-sampling (increasing resolution) and/or down-sampling (decreasing resolution) the reference layer. This ensures that the reference layer prediction is compatible with the enhancement layer's resolution.

Claim 19

Original Legal Text

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to apply a smoothing filter.

Plain English Translation

When up-sampling or down-sampling in spatial scalable video coding mode (as described in the previous claim), the system can apply a smoothing filter to reduce artifacts introduced by the resizing process.

Claim 20

Original Legal Text

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the adjusted difference prediction value in a 3D coding mode by warping and/or disparity compensation.

Plain English Translation

In 3D video coding, the adjusted difference prediction value is determined by warping and/or disparity compensation. Warping corrects for geometric distortions between views, while disparity compensation accounts for the horizontal shift between corresponding points in different views.

Claim 21

Original Legal Text

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the adjusted difference prediction value by upsampling, downsampling, and/or remapping motion information associated with the video data of layers or views.

Plain English Translation

The video coding system determines the adjusted difference prediction value by upsampling, downsampling, and/or remapping motion information associated with the video data of the layers or views. This ensures motion consistency across different resolutions or viewpoints.

Claim 22

Original Legal Text

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the adjusted difference prediction value by applying motion shift.

Plain English Translation

The system determines the adjusted difference prediction value by applying a "motion shift" to the motion vectors of the reference layer. This fine-tunes the motion compensation process for better prediction accuracy.

Claim 23

Original Legal Text

23. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the adjusted difference prediction value by applying a treatment when one frame is available in one layer or view but not available in another corresponding layer or view.

Plain English Translation

The video coding system handles situations where a frame is available in one layer or view but not in the corresponding layer or view. This might happen due to varying frame rates or occlusions. The adjusted difference prediction value is calculated accordingly.

Claim 24

Original Legal Text

24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the treatment comprises marking the one frame as unavailable or setting related motion to zero.

Plain English Translation

When a frame is unavailable in a corresponding layer or view (as described in the previous claim), the system can either mark the unavailable frame or set its associated motion vectors to zero. This prevents errors in the prediction process.

Claim 25

Original Legal Text

25. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to encode unencoded video data and determine the weighting factor (w) according to a relationship: w = ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I - P e ) · ( I ^ b - P b ) } ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I ^ b - P b ) 2 } wherein I corresponds to a source picture, P e corresponds to an enhancement layer temporal prediction, P b corresponds to a base layer temporal prediction, and Î b corresponds to a base layer reconstruction, determined from the unencoded video data.

Plain English Translation

The video coding system can encode raw video data and determine the weighting factor (w) using the following formula: w = ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I - P e ) · ( I ^ b - P b ) } / ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I ^ b - P b ) 2 }. Here, I is the original source picture, Pe is the temporal prediction from enhancement layer, Pb is the temporal prediction from base layer, and Îb is the reconstructed base layer picture.

Claim 26

Original Legal Text

26. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reference layer is an enhancement layer.

Plain English Translation

In the video coding system, the "reference layer" can actually be an "enhancement layer" itself. This allows for hierarchical coding structures where multiple enhancement layers are predicted from each other.

Claim 27

Original Legal Text

27. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to clip residual pixel or differential pixel derivation to a predetermined bit depth.

Plain English Translation

The system limits the range of residual pixel values (the difference between the original pixel and the predicted pixel) or differential pixel values to a predefined bit depth. This clipping prevents values from exceeding the representable range and ensures data integrity.

Claim 28

Original Legal Text

28. The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the predetermined bit depth is 8 bits, 16 bits, or a bit depth between 8 bits and 16 bits.

Plain English Translation

The predetermined bit depth for clipping residual or differential pixel values (as described in the previous claim) can be 8 bits, 16 bits, or any bit depth between 8 and 16 bits. This allows the system to adapt to different video formats and precision requirements.

Claim 29

Original Legal Text

29. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises one or more of: a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a telephone handset, a smart phone, a wireless communication device, a smart pad, a television, a camera, a display device, a digital media player, a video gaming console, or a video streaming device.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus implementing the video coding system can be any of the following devices: a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a telephone handset, a smart phone, a wireless communication device, a smart pad, a television, a camera, a display device, a digital media player, a video gaming console, or a video streaming device.

Claim 30

Original Legal Text

30. A method of coding video information comprising: storing video data associated with a reference layer and a corresponding enhancement layer; selecting a weighting factor from a plurality of weighting factor candidates, wherein the selected weighting factor is different from 1; determining an adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the adjusted prediction value is equal to the selected weighting factor multiplied by a difference between (i) a prediction of a current picture in the enhancement layer and (ii) a prediction of a reference layer picture in the reference layer that corresponds to the current picture; and determining a reconstruction of the current picture in the enhancement layer based on a sum of (i) a residual value indicative of a difference between the current picture and the prediction of the current picture, (ii) a reconstruction of the reference layer picture in the reference layer, and (iii) the adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the selected weighting factor is derived from a weighting step indicative of an increment size between each of the plurality of weighting factor candidates and a weighting index associated with the selected weighting factor.

Plain English Translation

A video coding method involves storing video data for a reference layer and a corresponding enhancement layer. A weighting factor (not equal to 1) is selected from a group of candidate weighting factors. An "adjusted difference prediction value" is calculated by multiplying the selected weighting factor by the difference between a prediction of a current picture in the enhancement layer and a prediction of the corresponding reference layer picture. The enhancement layer picture is reconstructed by summing a residual (difference between the original picture and its prediction), the reconstructed reference layer picture, and the adjusted difference prediction value. The weighting factor is derived using a weighting step and weighting index.

Claim 31

Original Legal Text

31. The method of claim 30 , further comprising applying the weighting factor at a coding level selected from a group comprising: a sequence, a group of frames, frame, a group of slices, slice, a group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, and a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The video coding method described above allows the weighting factor to be applied at different levels of the video structure. This coding level can be a video sequence, a group of frames, a single frame, a group of slices, a slice, a group of coding units (CUs), a single coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), a single prediction unit (PU), individual blocks of pixels, or even a specific region of pixels.

Claim 32

Original Legal Text

32. The method of claim 30 , wherein the weighting factor is determined based upon weighting information.

Plain English Translation

The video coding method described in the first method claim determines the weighting factor based on "weighting information". This weighting information provides the system with the necessary data to select the appropriate weighting factor for the video coding process.

Claim 33

Original Legal Text

33. The method of claim 30 , wherein the weighting information comprises one or more of a weighting step, a weighting table, a number of weighting factor candidates, or a weighting index.

Plain English Translation

The "weighting information" used to determine the weighting factor (as described in the previous claim) can include one or more of the following: a "weighting step" (increment size between weighting factor candidates), a "weighting table" (a lookup table containing the weighting factors), the total "number of weighting factor candidates" available, or a "weighting index" (identifying a specific weighting factor).

Claim 34

Original Legal Text

34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the weighting information comprises a weighting index, and wherein the weighting index indicates which prediction and what weighting factor is used for a coding level.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the previous claims, if the "weighting information" includes a "weighting index", this index serves to indicate both which prediction method and which weighting factor should be used for a particular coding level (sequence, frame, slice, CU, PU, etc.).

Claim 35

Original Legal Text

35. The method of claim 30 , wherein the weighting information is signaled.

Plain English Translation

In the described video coding method, the "weighting information" used to determine the weighting factor (as in claim 32) is explicitly signaled within the encoded video bitstream. This means the encoder includes the weighting information as part of the compressed video data.

Claim 36

Original Legal Text

36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the weighting information is signaled at a coding level selected from a group comprising: a sequence, a group of frames, frame, a group of slices, slice, a group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, and a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The "weighting information" signaled in the video bitstream (as described in the previous claim) can be signaled at various coding levels: video sequence, group of frames, single frame, group of slices, single slice, group of coding units (CUs), single coding unit (CU), group of prediction units (PUs), single prediction unit (PU), individual blocks of pixels, or even a specific region of pixels.

Claim 37

Original Legal Text

37. The method of claim 30 , wherein the weighting information is derived based on previously encoded or decoded information.

Plain English Translation

Instead of explicitly signaling the "weighting information," as described in previous claims, the weighting information can be derived from previously encoded or decoded video data. This means the encoder and decoder use existing information to infer the weighting factor.

Claim 38

Original Legal Text

38. The method of claim 37 , wherein the previously encoded or decoded information is provided at a coding level and comprises one or more of: a quantization parameter, a CU size, a PU size, or a CU coding mode.

Plain English Translation

The previously encoded or decoded information used to derive the "weighting information" (as described in the previous claim) is provided at a specific coding level (sequence, frame, slice, CU, PU, etc.) and includes one or more of the following: a quantization parameter (QP), a CU size, a PU size, or a CU coding mode (inter or intra).

Claim 39

Original Legal Text

39. The method of claim 38 , wherein the coding level comprises one or more of: a sequence, a group of frames, a frame, a group of slices, a slice, a group of CUs, a CU, a group of PUs, a PU, one or more blocks, or a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The coding level at which the previously encoded or decoded information is provided, as discussed in the previous claim, can be one or more of the following: a video sequence, a group of frames, a single frame, a group of slices, a single slice, a group of coding units (CUs), a single CU, a group of prediction units (PUs), a single PU, individual blocks, or a region of pixels.

Claim 40

Original Legal Text

40. The method of claim 39 , wherein the CU coding mode is inter CU or intra CU.

Plain English Translation

The CU coding mode, as referred to in claim 38, can be either "inter CU" (predicted from other frames) or "intra CU" (predicted from within the same frame). This distinction influences how the weighting information is derived.

Claim 41

Original Legal Text

41. The method of claim 30 , further comprising disabling generalized residual prediction (GRP) and enabling only weighted difference prediction (WDP).

Plain English Translation

The video coding method can disable "generalized residual prediction (GRP)" and enable only "weighted difference prediction (WDP)". This simplifies the prediction process by relying solely on the weighted difference between the enhancement layer and reference layer predictions.

Claim 42

Original Legal Text

42. The method of claim 41 , wherein said disabling GRP and enabling WDP is performed at a coding level selected from a group comprising: a sequence, a group of frames, frame, a group of slices, slice, a group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), a group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, and a region of pixels.

Plain English Translation

The disabling of GRP and enabling of WDP, as mentioned in the previous claim, can be applied at different coding levels: sequence, group of frames, frame, group of slices, slice, group of coding units (CUs), coding unit (CU), group of prediction units (PUs), prediction unit (PU), blocks, or a region of pixels.

Claim 43

Original Legal Text

43. The method of claim 30 , further comprising signaling the weighting factor in a bitstream of video information.

Plain English Translation

The weighting factor used in the weighted difference prediction is signaled directly in the video bitstream, allowing the decoder to know the exact weighting factor used by the encoder.

Claim 44

Original Legal Text

44. The method of claim 30 , wherein the weighting factor comprises a number of candidate weighting factors, the number of candidate weighting factors being dependent upon coded information in a bitstream associated with the video information.

Plain English Translation

The weighting factor is chosen from a set of candidate weighting factors. The number of available candidates depends on already coded information present in the bitstream of video data.

Claim 45

Original Legal Text

45. The method of claim 44 , wherein the coded information comprises one or more of a CU mode, a CU size, or other previously coded information in the bitstream.

Plain English Translation

The coded information that determines the number of weighting factor candidates (as described in the previous claim) can be a CU mode (intra or inter), a CU size, or other previously coded information within the bitstream. This allows the system to adapt the weighting factor selection based on the video content.

Claim 46

Original Legal Text

46. The method of claim 30 , further comprising performing 3D video coding, and wherein the reference layer comprises a plurality of reference layers or reference views.

Plain English Translation

The video coding method can perform 3D video coding. In this case, the reference layer can be multiple reference layers or different views of the 3D scene, allowing the method to leverage inter-view dependencies for prediction.

Claim 47

Original Legal Text

47. The method of claim 30 , further comprising determining the adjusted difference prediction value in a spatial scalable video coding mode by up-sampling and/or down-sampling.

Plain English Translation

The video coding method can determine the "adjusted difference prediction value" in a spatial scalable video coding mode (where enhancement layer has higher resolution than reference layer) by up-sampling (increasing resolution) and/or down-sampling (decreasing resolution) the reference layer. This ensures that the reference layer prediction is compatible with the enhancement layer's resolution.

Claim 48

Original Legal Text

48. The method of claim 47 , further comprising applying a smoothing filter.

Plain English Translation

When up-sampling or down-sampling in spatial scalable video coding mode (as described in the previous claim), the method can apply a smoothing filter to reduce artifacts introduced by the resizing process.

Claim 49

Original Legal Text

49. The method of claim 30 , further comprising determining the adjusted difference prediction value in a 3D coding mode by warping and/or disparity compensation.

Plain English Translation

In 3D video coding, the adjusted difference prediction value is determined by warping and/or disparity compensation. Warping corrects for geometric distortions between views, while disparity compensation accounts for the horizontal shift between corresponding points in different views.

Claim 50

Original Legal Text

50. The method of claim 30 , further comprising determining the adjusted difference prediction value by upsampling, downsampling, and/or remapping motion information associated with the video data of layers or views.

Plain English Translation

The video coding method determines the adjusted difference prediction value by upsampling, downsampling, and/or remapping motion information associated with the video data of the layers or views. This ensures motion consistency across different resolutions or viewpoints.

Claim 51

Original Legal Text

51. The method of claim 50 , further comprising determining the adjusted difference prediction value by applying motion shift.

Plain English Translation

The method determines the adjusted difference prediction value by applying a "motion shift" to the motion vectors of the reference layer. This fine-tunes the motion compensation process for better prediction accuracy.

Claim 52

Original Legal Text

52. The method of claim 30 , further comprising determining the adjusted difference prediction value by applying a treatment when one frame is available in one layer or view but not available in another corresponding layer or view.

Plain English Translation

The video coding method handles situations where a frame is available in one layer or view but not in the corresponding layer or view. This might happen due to varying frame rates or occlusions. The adjusted difference prediction value is calculated accordingly.

Claim 53

Original Legal Text

53. The method of claim 52 , wherein the treatment comprises marking the one frame as unavailable or setting related motion to zero.

Plain English Translation

When a frame is unavailable in a corresponding layer or view (as described in the previous claim), the method can either mark the unavailable frame or set its associated motion vectors to zero. This prevents errors in the prediction process.

Claim 54

Original Legal Text

54. The method of claim 30 , further comprising encoding unencoded video data and determining the weighting factor (w) according to a relationship: w = ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I - P e ) · ( I ^ b - P b ) } ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I ^ b - P b ) 2 } wherein I corresponds to a source picture, P e corresponds to an enhancement layer temporal prediction, P b corresponds to a base layer temporal prediction, and Î b corresponds to a base layer reconstruction, determined from the unencoded video data.

Plain English Translation

The video coding method can encode raw video data and determine the weighting factor (w) using the following formula: w = ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I - P e ) · ( I ^ b - P b ) } / ∑ x , y ⁢ { ( I ^ b - P b ) 2 }. Here, I is the original source picture, Pe is the temporal prediction from enhancement layer, Pb is the temporal prediction from base layer, and Îb is the reconstructed base layer picture.

Claim 55

Original Legal Text

55. The method of claim 30 , wherein the reference layer is an enhancement layer.

Plain English Translation

In the video coding method, the "reference layer" can actually be an "enhancement layer" itself. This allows for hierarchical coding structures where multiple enhancement layers are predicted from each other.

Claim 56

Original Legal Text

56. The method of claim 30 , further comprising clipping a residual pixel or differential pixel derivation to a predetermined bit depth.

Plain English Translation

The method limits the range of residual pixel values (the difference between the original pixel and the predicted pixel) or differential pixel values to a predefined bit depth. This clipping prevents values from exceeding the representable range and ensures data integrity.

Claim 57

Original Legal Text

57. The method of claim 56 , wherein the predetermined bit depth is 8 bits, 16 bits, or a bit depth between 8 bits and 16 bits.

Plain English Translation

The predetermined bit depth for clipping residual or differential pixel values (as described in the previous claim) can be 8 bits, 16 bits, or any bit depth between 8 and 16 bits. This allows the method to adapt to different video formats and precision requirements.

Claim 58

Original Legal Text

58. An apparatus for coding video information, comprising: means for storing video data associated with a reference layer and a corresponding enhancement layer; means for selecting a weighting factor from a plurality of weighting factor candidates, wherein the selected weighting factor is different from 1; means for determining an adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the adjusted prediction value is equal to the selected weighting factor multiplied by a difference between (i) a prediction of a current picture in the enhancement layer and (ii) a prediction of a reference layer picture in the reference layer that corresponds to the current picture; and means for determining a reconstruction of the current picture in the enhancement layer based on a sum of (i) a residual value indicative of a difference between the current picture and the prediction of the current picture, (ii) a reconstruction of the reference layer picture in the reference layer, and (iii) the adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the selected weighting factor is derived from a weighting step indicative of an increment size between each of the plurality of weighting factor candidates and a weighting index associated with the selected weighting factor.

Plain English Translation

A video coding apparatus includes: a storage for video data for a reference layer and enhancement layer, a selector for a weighting factor from several candidates (weighting factor not equal to 1), a determiner for an adjusted difference prediction value (weighting factor multiplied by the difference between predictions in the enhancement and reference layers), and a determiner for reconstructing the enhancement layer picture (sum of a residual, reconstructed reference layer picture, and adjusted difference prediction value). The weighting factor is derived using weighting step and weighting index.

Claim 59

Original Legal Text

59. The apparatus of claim 58 , wherein the weighting factor is determined based upon weighting information.

Plain English Translation

The video coding apparatus, as described above, determines the weighting factor based on "weighting information". This weighting information provides the apparatus with the necessary data to select the appropriate weighting factor for the video coding process.

Claim 60

Original Legal Text

60. The apparatus of claim 58 , wherein the weighting information comprises one or more of a weighting step, a weighting table, a number of weighting factor candidates, or a weighting index.

Plain English Translation

The "weighting information" used to determine the weighting factor (as described in the previous claim) can include one or more of the following: a "weighting step" (increment size between weighting factor candidates), a "weighting table" (a lookup table containing the weighting factors), the total "number of weighting factor candidates" available, or a "weighting index" (identifying a specific weighting factor).

Claim 61

Original Legal Text

61. The apparatus of claim 60 , wherein the weighting information comprises a weighting index, and wherein the weighting index indicates which prediction and what weighting factor is used for a coding level.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the previous claims, if the "weighting information" includes a "weighting index", this index serves to indicate both which prediction method and which weighting factor should be used for a particular coding level (sequence, frame, slice, CU, PU, etc.).

Claim 62

Original Legal Text

62. The apparatus of claim 58 , further comprising means for disabling generalized residual prediction (GRP) and enabling only weighted difference prediction (WDP).

Plain English Translation

The video coding apparatus can disable "generalized residual prediction (GRP)" and enable only "weighted difference prediction (WDP)". This simplifies the prediction process by relying solely on the weighted difference between the enhancement layer and reference layer predictions.

Claim 63

Original Legal Text

63. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for coding video information that cause a computer processor to: store video data associated with a reference layer and a corresponding enhancement layer; select a weighting factor from a plurality of weighting factor candidates, wherein the selected weighting factor is different from 1; determine an adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the adjusted prediction value is equal to the selected weighting factor multiplied by a difference between (i) a prediction of a current picture in the enhancement layer and (ii) a prediction of a reference layer picture in the reference layer that corresponds to the current picture; and determine a reconstruction of the current picture in the enhancement layer based on a sum of (i) a residual value indicative of a difference between the current picture and the prediction of the current picture, (ii) a reconstruction of the reference layer picture in the reference layer, and (iii) the adjusted difference prediction value, wherein the selected weighting factor is derived from a weighting step indicative of an increment size between each of the plurality of weighting factor candidates and a weighting index associated with the selected weighting factor.

Plain English Translation

A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that cause a processor to: store video data for a reference and enhancement layer, select a weighting factor (not equal to 1) from multiple candidates, determine an adjusted difference prediction value (weighting factor times the difference between enhancement and reference layer predictions), and reconstruct the enhancement layer picture (sum of a residual, reconstructed reference layer picture, and adjusted difference prediction value). The weighting factor is derived from a weighting step and a weighting index.

Claim 64

Original Legal Text

64. The computer-readable medium of claim 63 , wherein the weighting factor is determined based upon weighting information.

Plain English Translation

The computer-readable medium described above, wherein the weighting factor is determined based on "weighting information". This weighting information provides the necessary data to select the appropriate weighting factor for the video coding process.

Claim 65

Original Legal Text

65. The computer-readable medium of claim 63 , wherein the weighting information comprises one or more of a weighting step, a weighting table, a number of weighting factor candidates, or a weighting index.

Plain English Translation

The "weighting information" used to determine the weighting factor (as described in the previous claim) can include one or more of the following: a "weighting step" (increment size between weighting factor candidates), a "weighting table" (a lookup table containing the weighting factors), the total "number of weighting factor candidates" available, or a "weighting index" (identifying a specific weighting factor).

Claim 66

Original Legal Text

66. The computer-readable medium of claim 65 , wherein the weighting information comprises a weighting index, and wherein the weighting index indicates which prediction and what weighting factor is used for a coding level.

Plain English Translation

The computer-readable medium including the weighting information can use a weighting index to indicate which prediction and what weighting factor is used for a coding level.

Claim 67

Original Legal Text

67. The apparatus of claim 63 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to disable generalized residual prediction (GRP) and enable only weighted difference prediction (WDP).

Plain English Translation

The computer-readable medium containing the instructions further causes the processor to disable "generalized residual prediction (GRP)" and enable only "weighted difference prediction (WDP)".

Classification Codes (CPC)

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

August 2, 2013

Publication Date

May 2, 2017

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Cite as: Patentable. “Weighted difference prediction under the framework of generalized residual prediction” (US-9641836). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9641836

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